Device for handling crackers and the like.



A. BLEILE.

DEVICE FOR HANDLING CRACKERS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6,1917.

Patented June 11, 1918.

INI/ENTOR S TES ALBERT BLEILE, or DAYTONQOHIO.

.* DEVICE FOR HANDLING CRACKERS AND 'rnnnmnp Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 11, 1918.

Application filed December 6,1917. sena no. $205,794.

To all 'w'homit mdy concern, a a Be it known that I, ALBERT BLEJLE, a c1tizen'of the United States, residing at'Dayton, in the county of Montgomeryand State of Ohio, have invented certainnew and use-' ful Improvements inDevices for Handling Crackers and thelike, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a device :Eor

handling crackers and the like.

In the manufacture of crackers, small cakes, and slmllar articles, it is customary to bake thesame in sheets comprislng a plurality of parallel rows of crackers united at their edges just as they comefrom the forming devices. lrVhen the sheetsof crackers are removed from the oven j they are broken up into strips, or rows,'of'crackers,

each strip containing one or more rows of crackers, and these strips are placed 1n trays and taken to the pack ng rooms where; they are separated into individual units, or

crackers, and packed If the sheets are broken up into individual crackers in the first instance it is necessary to handle each cracker separately, or'gather them 1 up into f bunches, and the Work and time required for handling is greatly increased; It is difiicult to break thesesheets into stripswithout breaking up the strips into individual crack- "ersa This isfparticularly true in the case of certain goods, suchas hard-tack, which are baked veryhard and are consequently quite brittle when they: come from the oven. Not only will the strips or rows break up into their individual units when anetfort is made tobreak up the sheets into strips, but

many of the crackers themselves will be broken-in such a manner that they are not commerciahthus further increasing the cost of handling. Moreover hard-tack and similar goods cool very slowly after coming from the ovens and cannot immediately be grasped in the hand for breaking up into strips. I p a The objectof thisinvention is toprovide a device by, means of which thesheets of crackers can be broken up into. strips or rows of crackers without breaking the. strips into individual units, and which, further,

will serve as a carrier to enable the strips to be placed in the trays without further handling. a,

To this end it is a furtherobject of the invention to provide a device-Whichwill grip one edge of a pile'of superimposed sheets of crackers and apply pressure thereto along the line of division between two rows of crackers and thus cause 'the row, or rows, of

crackers gripped by the device to be separated from the sheet, or sheets. I

It isalso an object of the invention to provide such a device which will be very simple in its construction and operation and which can be manipulated rapidly. V

It is a further object of the invention to provide in connection with such a device a- Supporting structure to receive the piles of sheets, as the latter are taken from the oven, and to arrange the same in superimposed "alinement; and'which will also be of such a.

'2-2 of Fig. '1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the handling device taken on the line 3-4) of Fig. 1; Fig.4 is a sectional view of the handling device taken on the line 4: 4: of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a fractional detail view of the"supporting structure showing the movable side wall therefor.

In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my' invention and have shown the same as designed more particularly for handlin 0' hard-tack, but it will be understood that the invention can be used for the handling of crackers, cakes, biscuits, or similar articles, whether edible ornot. In these drawings I have'shown the handling device in connection with a support comprising a tablel which is of alength somewhat greater than the combined length of two or dinary sheets of crackers, it being understood that theterm crackers is used to include any similar articles, as above men'- tioned. This table is provided at one side U with a fixed wall 2 extending substantially for the full length of the table and is provided at itsrear end with a fixed wall 3,

and along the rear portion of the other side thereof with a fixed wall 4, this latter wall extending for approximately half the length of the table. The walls 2 and 4: are spaced apart a distance but little greater than the width of the sheets so thatwhen a pile of sheets has been placed between the same and 4 against the rear wall 3 they will be -retained in vertical alinement. The forward portion of the table is somewhat greater in width than the width of the sheets "and 'is provided with a movable side wall 5 which is slidably mounted thereon and rests nor the table, the' distance between the side walls of this portion of tablebeing such as to permit the sheets to be readily placed thereon' A movable'stop or partition 6 ex tends transversely of the table near the middle thereof, this partition beingof alengthf approximately equal to the Width of the sheets. When thedesired' number of sheets of crackers has been piledupon the table" the sidewall 5'is moved inwardly against the edges thereof to move the lateral edges of the several sheets into vertical alinement.

The partition 6 is then removed and the pile of sheets moved to therear end of the tablefth e partition '6 being, if desired, placed against the'forward end of the pile to move it. After the pile of sheets has been moved to' the rear of the table theparti'tion 6 is returned to its normal position and other 5 sheets arepiled uponthei forward portion of the table while the pile on the rear portion thereof is beingbrokennip into; strips.

To break the sheet s ot crackers into strips 6LCllCO11S1Sl11Ilg Of one or more rows o crackers, usually one row, I have provided a suitable device for embracing the edge rated and'are caused to embrace the several rows of crackers at one edge'o'f thepile of of the pile of superimposed sheets, gripping the row, or rows, of crackers which it is desired to sever from thepileband aPplying pressure to the pile along'the line of division between the row, or rows, of crackers which it is desired to sever and the'succeeding row of crackers in the sheet. In

that form of the'device here illustrated this device comprises a pair of jaws 'movably' connected 'one'to the other and adapted-to be opened to enablethe one aw to'be placed beneaththe pile and the other jaw to be placed above the same, after which the two jaws'are moved togetherto causethem to grip the pile of sheets between them. The" jaws may be of any suitable constructi-en: and are preferably of a length substantially equal to the width of the'sl1eet,thatis; they are of a length sufficient to enable'them to simultaneously embrace all the crackers of a row of crackers, andtheupp'er jaw is of pliedto the row of craeke'rsfalongits line of therespectivetsheetsof crackers.

"present instance have shown board '18 vvhl'ch'is placedu'ponfthe pile of sheets near'thellne along whichthe'row,or

are formed-of sheet metal. The lower aw 7 is fiat-and is provided at its rear edge with an upwardly extending flange 8, while the -upper="jawi '9 is shown asifflat, except at itsforward edge which is turned down slightly,as-indicated at 10, to enable the pressure to be applied along the line of division. The"upper"jaw is also provided with a flange 11, the two flanges8 and 11 being pivotally connectedoneto the'oftherl Preferably thef'axis of this connection is arranged somewhat "in the rear" of the "flanges" sothat the jaws as a whole willhave bodily movelnent tow'ard anch'from each a "other. In fthefform of the device here 5 shown the flanges are providedwith rear wardly extending lugs 12 and"13, respectively, arranged nea'rthe ends offthe jaws' andpivotally connected one to the other. Suitable handles" are provided for inanipu-' g latingthe jaws and as here shown twointersecting handles" 14 and ""15 are connected to the flanges of thelower' andupper jaws, the flanges being preferably reinforced by i tion with the handles: "The intersecting superimposed sheets'of crackers," as shown in Fig. 2. The f aws are then closed upon the sheets and' the downturned" edge 10 of the upper jawls caused to bear firmly upon the upper row ofcrackersalong-the line of division between th srow of crackers and the next succeeding row. A slight upward movem'entof the handlewill turn the device as a'wholeabout a longitudinal aXisPand thus sever the several rows of crackers which are gripped thereby along" the lines of their connectionwith the succeeding rows 1 y Prefer ably some "means are'provl'ded for holdlng i theagile of sheets against upward movement during the severing operation, and in the a pressureig rows, of crackers are a to be severed; This "operator and presseddownf upon the *pile 12 while the hanclliiig," or severing",

manipulated" to sever the several rows'of crackers.

the f'severalflrows "of 'crackersf which are sheetsthey are retained within thejaw's and deposited within the receiving'tray, which is arrangedat a convenient point adjacent to the "supporting structure," 1 or table, i I. a

The operation of the device willbe readily understood fromthe foregoing description and it will be apparentthat l haveprdvided-a device'of this kind which is very simple in its constructionand which can ,be easily manipulated to rapidly sever successive rows of crackers from the pile-of sheets. It will also be apparent that the device is of'such a character that it will not break the crackers themselves, or the 1 rows or strips of crackers into individual units, thus eliminating the; wastage due to the breaking of crackers and en'abling the several rows i er crackersto'be placed simultaneously in the tray. Further th-e device enables the ShGetS tO "b6"bI' O ke11 up into strips imme diately after they "are" removed from-the oven without WaitingfOr themto cool, thus avoiding. the necessity of providing'facilis shale art.

1 *Having how an as ribe m invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby adapted to support a" pluralityof superimposed sheetsof crackers in vertical aline-i ment, the crackers I each 3 sheet being ari-i rangedin parallel rowsjof a {device to 3 grip the superimposed sheets along substantially their fullwidth; and arranged to exert pressure'thereon along the lineof division between two transverse rows of crackers.

QUThe combination with a structure adaptedto supportaplurality of superimposed sheets 'of 'crackers in vertical alinement, the crackers in each sheet being arrangedain "parallel rows; e f- 'a gripping device comprising a pair of jaws of a length slightly less emails width of said structure and movably connected one to the other, one of said jaws being ofsuch a widththat" its edge will engage the uppermost sheet ads jacent to the line of division between two rows of crackers, and means for manipulating said jaws.

3. The combination with a structure comprising a table top adapted to support a plurality of superimposed sheets of crackers,

the crackers in each sheet being arranged in parallel rows, and having a movable side wall normally spaced from the opposite side wall a distance greater than the width of said sheets of crackersrandqadapted to be moved into engagement with the edges of said sheets tomove the latter intovvert-ical alinement, of a device to grip the superimposed sheets along substantially the 1' full width thereof, and havinga part-to engage the uppermost sheetnear the line of division between two rows of crackers, and means to manipulate said deviceto cause pressureto be exerted on saidsheets alon the line of division between two rows of crackers.

4. Thecombinationwith a structureconiprising an elongated table top adapted to support aplurality of superimposed sheets of crackers, the crackers ofeach sheet being arranged 'in parallel rows, one portion of said tablehaving side walls spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the width of the sheets of said crackers, and another portion of said table having side walls spaced apart a distance a greater than the width of said sheets of crackers, one of said last-mentioned side walls a being movable to engage the edge of the pile and move the several sheets into alinement, a movable partition interposed between the two parts of said table and forming an abutment against which the-ends of theseveral sheets may be alined and which may be removed to permit a-pile of alined: sheetsito be moved onto the first-mentioned portion 0t saidtable, of a device togrip one edge ofsaid pile of sheets along substantially the full length thereof, and having a part to engage the uppermost sheet near the line of division between two rows of crackersyand having means for manipulating the SELHIGW'JO cause pressure to be= applied to said sheetsalong the line of division of the two rows of crackers;

"5: A structure comprising an elongated tabletop adapted-to-support a plurality of superimposed sheets of crackers, thecrackers of eaclr sheet being arranged parallel rows, one portion of said table having side walls spaced} apart a distance approximately equaltothe width of-the sheets of said crackers, and another portion of said table having side walls spacedapart a distance greater than the width otysaid sheets of crackersone of said last-mentionedj side walls be'ing'movable torengagethe edge of the 1pile and move the severaPsheets into alinement, and a movable partition inter- "posed between the two: parts ofsaid table andfo'rming an abutment against which the ends of the several sheets may be alined and which may be removed to permit a pile of alined sheets to be moved onto the firstmentioned portion of said table.

6. A device to grip a pile of sheets of crackers, each of which sheets comprises a plurality of parallel rows of crackers, and

to separate a row of crackers from each of said sheets, said devlce comprlslng members movable one toward the other and adapted to embrace; superimposed tTOlVS of acnackers at one edgeof said pileloiisheets of crackers, said,- nieinbers being of a length substantially equal tovthe width of said sheets of crackers and 0116i of said :IIlGIDbBIS sbeing arranged-1'50 engage the. acent sheet L of crackers inear the :line of i divisionwbetween itwo rows of crackers, and means {or-manipulatingsaid device .to'cause l'PFQSSLlIB. to be applied to; said phlehdf sheetsinear the line of division Abe tween two ro-wsof crackers. v a a 17. YA-c device to grip n31 :pile i of 1 sheets rOf crackers, each 1 of which lsheetsecomprises :1 a plurality of parallel rows (of; crackers, .and to separate a row of cnackersfifromeach of said sheets, said device comprising a pairsof j aws of a length; substantially :equalato Ithe width of-said sheets of crackersrandahaving one jaw of .suchna "width that its edge {will engage said pile ofgcrackers;nearthetlineeof divisioni between-two: rows of crackers.

:8. In a 'dev-icelofthe character. described, a .painof-jaws: adapted tot embrace the. edge of; a pile of superimposed sheets of 1 crackers, each sheet comprising, a; plnralityeof parallel rows of crackers, one: of said jaws having one edge arranged to engage said tpileeof sheets; along the line ofadivisioni betweentwo rows of crackers,'=and axhandleto cause-said jaws to grip said pile of terackers, land: to impart turning movement! to ,saidrdeviceaas a whole to sever the several rows of crackers gripped by said jaws from 1 the mespective sheetsofcrackers v i i 9. A device :of the character wdescribed comprising aapair of jaws zpivotally connectedonewto the other and {adapted toi embrace ithe 'edgeiofa :pile' of superimposed sheets of crackers, each sheet comprisingm plurality of v )ara1lel rows of: crackers, one ofsaidjaws being of a width slightly :less

than thewvidth of a row ofcrackersand-hawing its I edge extending along :the iline of division between two rows of crackers, and a handle, for; manipulating said aws and; for imparting turning, movement to said idev i'ce as :a whole. M

10.1 A device 1 of the character described. comprising a pair) of jaws adapted to grip the: edge :ofi a pile: of sheets of crackers, each of, said sheets -con1p1ising 1a ;plurality of parallel rows of crackers, the uppermost, jaw

mes -e19 betweenitwomrowsiof crackers, and; means formanipulatingsaidjaws. t i r a :11. :Ina Idevic'e :forisenenmg;a plurahty 10f superimposed rows :oficrackers from therespective .sheets. of 1a Vpileof sheetsof: crackers,

a ,pair of substantially parallel jaws a each having: at (its rear edge a a flange extending towardatheio'ther jaw, and pivoted handles connected .with the respective fianges for actuating said i jiaws one of, said vjaws being of; a lengtlr substantially. equah to, the width of said sheets 0t crackers :andyOf a rwiclthiapproximately equalito the "Width of cone of said rows of crackers. i

12.- In a devicel for-severing a plurality o'f superimposed: rows ofgcrackers from the: respective sheets of at Pile of sheets {of-cracks ers, a .pair {of substantially parallel j awseach having atyits I rear {edge a :fiange extending toward the :other a j aw,; and pi-voted; handles connected with ithe l respectiveifianges for actuating said jaws, one of-said jawstbeing of a length substantially equal: to "the width of said sheets of tcrackerswand v-oflia'twidth approximatelyrequal to the width- 101610118 016 saidzrows of crackers, said last-mentioned jaw having its forward: edge turned ",dOW-II- wardly to engage a row of crackers along the line of ndivision between said (row 1 and anotherrrowoficrackers. a 13. The combination with atable to snpport a' pile of superimposed; sheets of crackers, r each sheet comprising plurality of rows ct crackers, a pressure boardzto-zengage the nppermostesheetcof: saichpileI ataa point reino tesifrom the: edge: thereoflta 1P airg ofg-j aws adapted-t0 embrace the:- eaclgeiof said opile of sheets,.--one of said ijaws having its :edge iarranged .-along the @-line; of division betweenthe tw1o,1-rows lOf ;cr ackers,l-wand means to manipulate said jaws to:impart bodilyturni-ngi movement thereto; and tozcause-saidedge of said 3' aw? to exert, pressure, on saidrow' of crackers.

testiinonyvwhereofll taflixany signature hereto. i p a a I ALBERT; BLEILE.

Copies of: this patentzzmay be .obtainedafor-rfive cents each,1 byo. addressin z themcommissionn s,

a wwashingtonlmm i i 

